The government opened T&T’s borders trying to please the Opposition’s “friends” inside and outside of T&T and the public is now seeing the “drip, drip, drip” of people entering T&T bringing the COVID- 19 virus, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has indicated.
“So let the UNC be irresponsible….” he added, noting recently found COVID cases.
“These are difficult dangerous times. We’re still in a pandemic, it will take 14 days to capsize everything we’ve done,” he said.
He was speaking at Monday’s PNM San Fernando West meeting. His comments came ahead of yesterday’s Health Ministry statement on the latest figure, up to then, of 153 COVID cases. It was 154 by 6 pm yesterday.
This included six additional persons who tested positive for COVID-19. Three of the cases were nationals who recently returned from Antigua, Guyana and Vietnam. Two other cases were primary contacts of recently positive COVID-19 cases and one case is pending epidemiological investigation.
Rowley lashed the UNC’s attacks on Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram whom, he said, came to the fore with his health experts team.”
That team gave us guidance to help us keep T&T safe but the UNC sue Dr Parasaram 17 times! They didn’t stand with country!”
“When you have an argument outside of the political arena. They go to the court, they’re unpatriotic—all they’re concern about is getting rich and when you get rich and police come looking for you, don’t cry. Anytime police come to my door, they come to lime as I have plenty police friends— or they come to ask about you!”
Rowley said the UNC was also claiming it would be “his fault” if international observers didn’t come for the upcoming election and that he must “show” the Opposition Leader the letter from the Commonwealth where the latter body stated they couldn’t afford to send a team for the 14 days of quarantine needed to be here.
“Well, I’m showing nobody any letter,” he declared.
“I‘m telling you the people, that the Commonwealth told us it’s too expensive for them to undertake the mission and therefore they’ll take a pass on it and I know you’ll accept that from a Prime Minister who always tell you the truth.”
He said Caricom is still trying to send a team, but having difficulty. He said he didn’t know what they’ll come up with even if T&T tries to modify its quarantine arrangements.
“But if they get through, we’ll try to co-operate with them if it’s reasonable.”
But Rowley said nobody would be coming into T&T from outside and “running around the country – you are my first responsibility and I will protect you all.”
He said if an observer effort can be done, it will be done but observers or not, Government expects that T&T elections would be conducted as it normally is “as a disciplined people.”
He called on people not to fall for the UNC’s “song” that it was a calamity if one got displaced by a job. He noted he once worked in a soft drink (Ju-C) factory packing cases and before that, had planted grass for $7 a day at Hope Farm before going on to other jobs and “ending up” as Prime Minister.
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